Explore every episode of the podcast The Jon & Marc Podcast

Key Takeaways

• Rethinking Billboard Marketing: Traditional direct-response billboards that rely heavily on phone numbers often miss the point; effective out-of-home advertising focuses on being creative, memorable, and distinct in a crowded market.

• Brand Protection Strategy: Scaling brand awareness through mass media requires immediate brand protection measures to stop competitors from bidding on firm slogans and branded search terms.

• Dismantling Industry Stereotypes: The label of "billboard lawyers who do not try cases" falls apart when direct-to-consumer marketing is backed up by elite trial execution and courtroom experience.

• Strategic Courtroom Communication: In cases with statutory caps or tight credibility issues, using humor and directness during voir dire helps establish rapport and trust with a jury.

• Founder-Led Operational Discipline: Firm leadership requires staying connected to key operational details and rolling up sleeves during critical moments to maintain morale and quality.

• Maximizing Owner Leverage: Firm owners achieve maximum growth by focusing their time on high-impact activities like trial work or strategic marketing while building a strong team for daily management.

Key Takeaways

• The Platinum Rule reigns supreme: Treat clients exactly how they want to be treated, not how you think they should be treated.
• Hyper-local marketing yields massive returns: Initiatives like buying cheap bulk tickets for university basketball games or giving away concert tickets build deep community trust and generate direct cases.
• Elite co-counsel partnerships are essential: When handling massive, complex litigation like aviation disasters, choose partners who respect your drive and actively teach you the ropes.
• Deep local roots attract high-profile cases naturally: Defending your community consistently means families will reach out to you first when a major crisis hits.
• Discretionary client budgets build brand advocates: Giving your team a small budget to buy highly personalized gifts for clients when they collect their checks creates an unforgettable experience.
• Human connection is the ultimate defense against automation: Let technology handle repetitive administrative tasks so your lawyers can focus entirely on empathy and real relationships.

Key Takeaways

• Tylenol MDL Reinstated: The Second Circuit overturned the district court's exclusion of plaintiff experts, ruling that judges should not resolve active scientific debates at the gatekeeping stage. This brings the Tylenol autism/ADHD MDL back to life, with predictions that it could become the largest mass tort in history.

• Redefining the Daubert Standard: By holding that reliable expert methodologies belong in front of a jury even if opinions conflict, the Second Circuit has shifted the risk-evaluation calculus across all MDLs—and signaled a potential reversal in the upcoming Zantac appeal.

• A Temporary Win for J&J in Talc: A Special Master’s report recommended excluding asbestos testing testimony from plaintiff expert Dr. Longo. While J&J is claiming victory, this is only a recommendation and far from a death knell for the 70,000 pending talc cases.

• Covidien Hernia Mesh Trial Begins: The first bellwether trial involving Covidien’s Symbatex mesh has officially begun in the MDL. Covidien remains the last major standing manufacturer, holding about 25% of the market share.

• Roundup Settlement Moves Forward: Despite favorable Supreme Court preemption decisions, Bayer is actively pushing forward with its $7.25 billion Missouri class action settlement, with a final approval hearing set for August 19th.

Key Takeaways

• Leading Through Extreme Crisis: Taking the helm as CEO right as courts closed required absolute transparency and raw video updates rather than polished corporate messaging to maintain team alignment.

• The Operational Math of Client Care: Setting staff caseloads by tracking the actual minutes required per individual task prevents burnout and guarantees a high-touch client experience.

• Maximizing Elite Trial Talent: Moving daily administrative burdens away from top earners allows elite trial lawyers to focus completely on high-value cases that generate massive revenue.

• Hospitality as a Competitive Advantage: Hiring staff with service backgrounds and keeping real people on the phones beats automated legal systems every time.

• Leveraging Initial Touchpoints: Complying with strict regulatory rules for in-person retainer reviews builds deep client trust right at the start of a case.

• Systematizing Personal Touch: Implementing organized internal programs for handwritten cards and small client gifts drives massive word-of-mouth referrals.

Key Takeaways

• NEC Trial Setbacks: A recent defense verdict in St. Louis adds to the challenges of NEC litigation, though plaintiff attorneys are looking toward the upcoming first MDL bellwether trial later this year to shift momentum.

• Bard PowerPort Shifts Strategy: The second Bard PowerPort bellwether trial focuses on infection injuries rather than fracture or migration, serving as a critical plaintiff’s pick that impacts hundreds of infection-only cases in the MDL.

• Social Media Litigation Isolates Meta: Google and TikTok have settled out of the upcoming California state court trial,, and predictions suggest Snapchat will follow, leaving Meta and Snapchat to stand alone against mounting pressure.

• Compounding Pressure on Tech Giants: Meta faces significant headwinds from public awareness campaigns and recent regulatory actions, such as the Supreme Court allowing Texas's age verification laws to move forward.

• Roundup Class Action Delayed: The final approval hearing for the Roundup class action in Missouri state court was pushed back to August for procedural briefing.

Key Takeaways

• The Long-Term Threat to Personal Injury Margins: Autonomous vehicles and advanced commercial automation represent an inevitable shift that will eventually reduce standard traffic accidents, drastically shrinking the conventional personal injury market and forcing firms to run as lean corporate entities to survive.

• The Boundaries of Fully Automated Intake: While automated systems process data flawlessly without calling in sick or having bad days, they currently lack the genuine emotional intelligence needed to navigate highly sensitive, catastrophic injury calls without breaking client trust.

• Real-Time Guidance as the Immediate Solution: Rather than completely replacing human intake staff with standalone bots, the near-term future of client onboarding lies in software screens that feed live scripts and real-time prompts to human agents during an active call.

• Monetizing Misdirected Traffic via Tiered Systems: High-growth firms protect their marketing acquisition costs by building automated, multi-layered referral networks to instantly monetize out-of-practice leads instead of allowing them to slip away.

• Advanced Automation for Quality Auditing: Implementing artificial intelligence tools to review, transcribe, and score incoming calls gives firms a direct look at intake staff performance, allowing them to spot training flaws and prevent lost cases.

• Moving Away from the Cottage Industry Model: The era of running a sloppy law firm sustained solely by massive legal margins is closing, meaning modern founders must separate their courtroom talents from business operations and hire dedicated executives.

Key Takeaways

• SCOTUS Roundup Ruling: The Supreme Court issued a 7-2 ruling finding that federal pesticide law preempts state-law failure-to-warn claims. However, alternative causes of action like negligence and design defect remain active.

• Missouri Class Action Delay: The final approval hearing for the Missouri Roundup class action, originally scheduled for July 9th, has been pushed back. This delay allows objectors to brief issues and enables the parties to address the federal court remand.

• Internal Corporate Pressure at Uber: A pension fund has launched a lawsuit targeting Uber’s board of directors and CEO for cutting compliance corners. This internal pressure arrives right before thousands of sexual assault cases head toward a September bellwether trial.

• Bair Hugger Legacy Victory: In the decade-long Bair Hugger litigation, a Texas state court granted the plaintiffs a new trial in the Kelso case. The court determined that the previous jury instructions were confusing and incorrectly stated the law.

• Public-Private Framework in Social Media MDL: The Social Media Addiction MDL judge denied Meta's motion to dismiss and found regulatory notice non-compliance on summary judgment. To handle these cases, 29 State Attorneys General are partner-shipping with elite private plaintiffs' firms like the Lanier Law Firm, utilizing a multi-pronged framework pioneered in opioid and AFFF litigations.

Key Takeaways

• Building a woman-owned, woman-led plaintiff firm requires rethinking traditional law firm hierarchies and creating mentorship pipelines for both male and female talent.

• A founder's personal brand can become a limiting factor. Rebranding to Lady Legal Law allowed the firm to expand geographically while maintaining its female-led identity and values.

• Women in legal leadership are reshaping how firms approach talent development, investing in long-term team building rather than reactive hiring cycles.

• Structured internship programs create opportunities to mentor emerging talent, regardless of gender, from day one and embed firm culture and values early.

• Sourcing backend operations overseas while protecting domestic intake operations allows women leaders to focus on high-value litigation and client relationships.

• Matching market compensation and treating operational staff with the same respect as trial attorneys creates loyalty and reduces costly turnover cycles.

• Protecting referral networks through consistent communication and follow-up is especially critical for woman-owned firms building credibility in traditional legal markets.

Marc Rioux and Joe Fantini dive into a busy week in mass torts, covering major developments across Depo-Provera, Social Media Addiction, Roundup, and Uber litigation.

Key Takeaways:

• Depo-Provera Settlement in Works: Under two years to settlement, potentially 5,000+ cases with hundreds of millions in damages. Judge Rogers vacated trials and Daubert hearings, signaling deal imminent.

• Social Media Addiction Going to Trial: Following the $6 million verdict against Meta and a YouTube settlement, the second bellwether trial is expected to settle before jury trial in late July 2026.

• Roundup Remand and Supreme Court Ruling Imminent: The case is moving back to Missouri state court with a final approval hearing scheduled for July 2026. A Supreme Court decision on EPA preemption could come by early July, with major ramifications for all pharma MDLs.

• Uber's Delay Tactics Rejected by Court: For the third time in the same case, Uber tried to push back trial. The judge denied the request, keeping the September 2026 trial date intact.

• Trial Pressure Driving Settlements: Across multiple cases (Depo-Provera, Social Media, Roundup), imminent trials and bellwether pressures are accelerating settlement negotiations.

Rachel Lanier and Sarah Lanier, The Lanier Law Firm, join Jon Robinson and Marc Rioux to break down how AI is being weaponized against vulnerable people, and how lawyers are fighting back.

Key Takeaways:

• ChatGPT and similar AI platforms have provided dangerous advice to vulnerable users, including suicidal youth, prioritizing engagement over safety, a critical issue Rachel and Sarah are litigating.

• AI psychosis is an emerging phenomenon where users develop detachment from reality through prolonged AI interactions, creating a new category of mental health cases for trial lawyers.

• Only 2% of professionals truly understand how to effectively leverage AI; the remaining 98% use it superficially without understanding its mechanics, creating a significant competitive advantage for those who master it.

• The 10-80-10 framework: human oversight on the front end, AI handling 80% of the work, human verification on the back end, is the responsible approach to using AI in litigation.

• AI hallucinations are most dangerous in legal research and medical record reading; courts have already rejected multiple cases built on fabricated case law created by AI.

• Voice AI agents are becoming indistinguishable from humans, creating ethical nightmares when users believe they're speaking to real people (doctors, lawyers, therapists) receiving critical advice.

• Different AI platforms pull from different data sources and training methods; understanding the mechanics of Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity is essential to choosing the right tool for the right task.

• Trial lawyers now face a new defense strategy: blaming AI hallucinations, even when AI systems provided explicit, demonstrable evidence against corporate defendants.

• Meta pulled lawsuit advertisements after losing the California social media trial, signaling that tech companies view legal accountability as a threat to be eliminated, not addressed.

• The arms race between AI companies (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic) to release new models faster is directly causing safety compromises and unreleased QA testing that endangers users.

Key Takeaways

• NEC $60M Verdict Overturned: The Illinois appellate court reversed a massive 2024 plaintiffs' verdict due to improper jury instructions regarding failure to warn claims and the improper handling of prejudicial executive compensation evidence, forcing a retrial.

• J&J Seeks Total Talc Dismissal: Capitalizing on a recent California defense verdict and the subsequent withdrawal of two key plaintiffs' experts, Johnson & Johnson is aggressively pushing to dismiss the entire MDL with prejudice, a move the plaintiffs' bar plans to fiercely oppose using alternative experts.

• AFFF Docket Cleanup Underway: Defendants in the AFFF individual personal injury litigation are moving to dismiss roughly 10,000 cases over missing fact sheets and unverified diagnoses. This mass inventory purging is viewed as a highly positive signal that defendants are calculating viable case counts ahead of potential settlement negotiations.

• Lone Pine Constraints: Due to a Lone Pine order currently in place for the AFFF personal injury docket, the litigation is becoming increasingly technical and challenging, meaning explosive new case-filing volume is highly unlikely.

• Global Pressures on Social Media Tech: The UK has announced a sweeping ban on social media for children under 16 effective in 2027. Combined with similar bans in Australia and Spain, plus upcoming mainstream whistle-blower media, global regulatory and legal pressures are forcing major tech platforms onto the defensive.

Key Takeaways

• A Supreme Court ruling has opened up $170 billion in AIPA tariff refunds for importers and downstream businesses, creating a major niche co-counsel opportunity for law firms.

• Acting quickly before suppliers receive their tariff refunds makes reimbursement conversations much smoother and less adversarial for downstream businesses.

• Moving to Puerto Rico under Act 60 allows attorneys to eliminate short-term and long-term capital gains and lower business tax rates to 4% via export services companies.

• Law firms can recover past IRS penalties and interest through the Kwong case FEMA extension, but the deadline closes on July 10, 2026.

• The IRS relies on a secretive "DIF score" algorithm to select returns for audits, frequently targeting disproportionate marketing and entertainment expenses.

• Less than half of law firms have adequate financial records when entering private equity negotiations, which directly lowers their EBITDA valuation multiples.

• Successfully scaling or selling a law firm requires a comprehensive advisory team, including M&A counsel, tax counsel, an ethics specialist, and a highly skilled CPA.

Key Takeaways

• Two New MDLs Established: The JPML has officially formed two new mass tort dockets: the Dupixent litigation in the District of New Jersey and the Spinal Cord Stimulator litigation against Boston Scientific in the Central District of California.

• Dupixent Injury Focus: The Dupixent MDL targets a rare T-cell subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma , drawing from a massive potential pool of roughly 800,000 users and projected to eventually encompass a few thousand cases.

• Spinal Cord Stimulator Scope Limited: Plaintiffs requested an industry-wide spinal cord stimulator MDL, but the JPML limited the initial consolidation to Boston Scientific due to distinct discovery tracks and trade secret concerns. An Abbott Laboratories MDL may follow later this year or early next year.

• J&J Clinches Talc Victory: Johnson & Johnson secured a surprising 10-2 defense verdict in the second California state court talc bellwether trial. The outcome came down to a battle of the experts, where jurors expressed skepticism over plaintiff experts who failed to warn their own patients of the risks.

• Paraquat Settlement Disruption: In the Paraquat MDL, the judge ordered a mandatory 10% case-specific workup and depositions for three law firms whose clients overwhelmingly opted out of a recent settlement proposal. Concurrently, Philadelphia state court cases are facing renewed jurisdiction challenges ahead of late-summer trials.

Key Takeaways

• Lee Floyd spent over a decade defending major corporations like Johnson & Johnson and Bayer before transitioning to plaintiff's work in 2020.

• A detailed conversation about systemic abuse at Cumberland Hospital prompted her to leave her corporate defense partnership within a single week to represent injured children.

• Floyd secured a $360 million verdict in her very first trial on the plaintiff side, establishing the largest verdict in Virginia history.

• Institutional abuse cases involve severe emotional challenges, with clients frequently experiencing intense trauma responses during written discovery and depositions.

• Legal teams handling high-trauma cases require active internal support structures, including mandatory therapy schedules and flexible time-off policies, to protect staff members from vicarious trauma.

• Effective intake protocols for sensitive litigation allow both the potential client and the staff member to pause or reschedule discussions if the content becomes too overwhelming.

 Key Takeaways

• The #1 Ranked Mass Tort remains the undisputed heavyweight champion of the board after securing a staggering $27 million settlement on a school district bellwether case that was originally selected entirely by the defense.

• Depo Provera has officially broken into the top three as a historic "rocket docket" under Judge Rogers, on track to advance from MDL inception to a December trial date in under two years.

• Hair Relaxer securely holds the #2 spot on the rankings with a steady influx of filings pushing the docket toward 12,000 cases as Daubert decisions loom this fall.

• Tech litigation bottlenecks are prompting defense firms to pivot, with corporate targets in the Roblox litigation aggressively trying to force 160 MDL cases into individual state-by-state minor arbitration.

• Weight Loss Drug dockets require a dual-screening approach from intake teams, as litigation expands concurrently across separate gastrointestinal injury and vision loss MDLs.

Key Takeaways

• Personal injury firms attract private capital because their high-volume, mass-advertising models offer predictable cash flow, unlike mass torts dockets that have undefined timelines and cash flow volatility.

• Management Services Organizations (MSOs) allow outside investors to buy into the legal space by owning the service-providing business rather than the regulated law firm equity itself.

• Alternative Business Structures (ABS) in jurisdictions like Arizona and Puerto Rico permit non-lawyers to own direct equity in law firms, providing a different pathway for institutional funding.

• A law firm's valuation depends heavily on separating the business operations from the founder. Firms built entirely around a single attorney's face and reputation carry high transition risk and receive lower valuations.

• Institutional capital and artificial intelligence are driving a massive spending war in case acquisition. Independent trial attorneys may eventually need to join large capitalized firms to access major cases.

• Post-acquisition failures often stem from regulatory overreach or a breakdown in trust between the investing partners and the practicing attorneys.

Key Takeaways

• Paul Farrell Jr. led the legal strategy that recovered approximately $70 billion in national opioid settlements by filing lawsuits against every level of the pharmaceutical supply chain.

• The settlement funds are legally structured within all 50 states to guarantee they are spent strictly on addiction treatment and abatement rather than disappearing into general government budgets.

• The litigation began by utilizing an overlooked West Virginia code section that grants county commissioners explicit legal standing to sue corporations for creating a public nuisance.

• While the cases against manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies are nearly finished, the legal focus has shifted to holding Pharmacy Benefit Managers accountable for controlling drug formularies and using vertical integration to drive the epidemic.

• The legal team proved corporate misconduct by demonstrating "diversion," where massive quantities of pills were sent to small towns with no objective medical justification.

• Farrell extended his antitrust litigation strategy to take on Google, representing independent newspaper publishers whose advertising revenue was destroyed by digital advertising monopolies and walled garden ecosystems.

• Artificial intelligence poses a new challenge for content creators by scraping publisher text and displaying answers directly, which threatens to eliminate the financial incentive to create original news.

Key Takeaways

• Social Media Litigation Shifts to School Districts: The first bellwether school district trial is set for next month against Meta in a rural Kentucky district, following massive pre-trial settlements by YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok.

• Depo-Provera Moving at Record Speed: With expert depositions complete and Daubert motions fully underway, the litigation is on a strict "rocket docket" pacing toward a crucial June 24, 2026 hearing and a December trial.

• GLP-1 Vision Loss Risk Intensifies: A new study published in JAMA Network Open demonstrates that GLP-1 weight loss drug users face a nearly three times higher risk of developing NAION (vision loss).

• Projected Growth for Weight Loss Dockets: While the vision loss litigation currently holds only a few hundred cases, experts project it could scale 10x up to 3,000 to 5,000 total cases as scientific data continues to mount.

• May JPML Brings High-Stakes New Torts: The May 28, 2026 JPML hearing will evaluate consolidating Dupixent (deemed an 80-90% slam dunk) and Spinal Cord Stimulators against Abbott and Boston Scientific (facing complex multi-defendant hurdles).

The script is flipped in this episode of The Jon & Marc Podcast, as RR Digital's VP of Client Services, Jen Cox, hosts this episode and interviews Jon Robinson and Marc Rioux.

In this episode, you learn:

• True business partnerships require complete alignment on long-term vision and an unwavering commitment to look out for each other. Jon Robinson's early restaurant ventures collapsed after his partners refused to scale beyond three locations, proving that misaligned growth goals can destroy business operations.

• Growing a marketing services company successfully can happen without a traditional sales team, quotas, or a massive acquisition budget. RR Digital relies entirely on delivering exceptional client results and generating organic word-of-mouth referrals to expand its client portfolio.

• Rejecting private equity investment prevents the erosion of service quality and helps protect long-term client trust. Private equity models focus primarily on extracting short-term financial value, which frequently results in cutting domestic creative teams in favor of cheap foreign labor.

• Strong agency relationships require a willingness to over-allocate resources to client accounts when performance drops, even if it reduces immediate profit margins. True alignment means operating as an integrated extension of a law firm's internal team rather than acting as a standard vendor.

• The legal marketing sector is moving away from narrow point solutions like basic search engine optimization toward comprehensive digital execution, which incorporates public relations, billboard design, and television strategy.

• Artificial intelligence should be viewed as an internal tool to improve human efficiency rather than a mechanism to eliminate headcount. While individual daily tasks will alter every few months as software improves, top-tier organizations adapt by shifting great people into new high-impact responsibilities.

This week on Tort Talk, Jon Robinson and Marc Rioux are joined by Joseph Fantini of Rosen Injury Lawyers to break down a whirlwind of activity in the mass tort space. From massive appellate wins in Missouri to strategic pivots in the Bard PowerPort litigation, we cover the updates you need to manage your docket effectively.

In this episode we talk about:

• NEC Litigation Milestone: We discuss the Missouri State Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a $495 million verdict. The court found the defendants’ conduct "willful or reckless," justifying significant punitive damages for failing to warn about product risks.

• Bard PowerPort Defense Verdict: The first bellwether trial resulted in a disappointing defense win. We analyze how the defense successfully argued "improper use" regarding infections and why the next trials will pivot to a defective design theory.

• Talc Momentum in Los Angeles: A major trial involving the families of three women is underway in LA Superior Court. We examine how recent plaintiff wins, including a $40 million Philadelphia verdict, are shaping current trial strategies.

• Weight Loss (GLP-1) Daubert Hearing: The MDL is entering its most critical phase yet. We look at which gastrointestinal injuries, like gastroparesis and bowel obstructions, are likely to survive judicial scrutiny.

• Depo-Provera & Social Media Updates: Insights into looming preemption rulings and the upcoming social media addiction trials.

Special Event: Grow or Die Conference

Join us at the Grow or Die Conference in Las Vegas, June 9th–10th, featuring John Morgan’s final appearance on that stage. Use code JM20 for 20% off your tickets!

Sara Williams has built one of the most engaged audiences of any attorney on social media, bringing her high-quality case referrals, partnerships, and the ability to market herself on her own terms. Some key takeaways include:

• Authenticity is the foundation of a successful legal brand because clients and juries can sense when a lawyer is putting on an act.

• Building a personal brand within a larger firm structure is possible and allows individual attorneys to stand out while contributing to the firm's growth.

• AI cannot replicate the unique human connection required for trial advocacy and high-level legal marketing.

• Lawyers should prioritize showing up as their true selves on social media rather than using computer-generated content for the sake of efficiency.

• Scaling a personal brand requires a dedicated team, including specialists like stylists and social media managers, to maintain consistency.

• Trial success depends on the ability to connect with people on a human level, a skill that is undermined by over-automation.

This week on Tort Talk, Jon and Marc are live from the Vanderbilt Hotel in Puerto Rico, joined by Joseph Fantini of Rosen Injury Lawyers to break down a high-stakes month in mass tort litigation. While the industry gathers for Mass Torts Puerto Rico, the legal calendar is moving faster than ever with billion-dollar claims and critical "make-or-break" deadlines.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The Meta $3.7 Billion Showdown: New Mexico is entering Phase 2 of its trial against Meta, seeking $3.7 billion under a "public nuisance" theory. We discuss Meta's defense strategy, comparing social media to the alcohol industry, and their threat to pull out of the state entirely.

• The "Dirty" Roundup Settlement: We analyze the MDL judge’s recent comments regarding the Missouri class action settlement, which he described as "dirty" and "bizarre". With the June 4th opt-out deadline fast approaching, we explain why "wet signatures" are a non-negotiable requirement for your clients.

• Suboxone’s June 1st Crunch: Firms are scrambling to meet the bundled complaint deadline. We cover the necessary proof of usage and medical records required to keep your cases from being dismissed, and provide an updated outlook for Bellwether trials in 2028.

• Weight Loss & Hair Relaxer Daubert Hearings: With hearings scheduled for May 12th and 15th, the science is about to be put to the test. We break down which injuries, like gastroparesis or specific cancers, are likely to survive and how these rulings will shift the next Mass Tort Power Rankings.

Whether you are managing a massive docket or just starting to scale your firm, this episode provides the tactical updates you need to protect your inventory and refine your strategy.

Connect with us at rrdigitalmedia.com to learn how we build acquisition systems for the country’s leading law firms.

Key Takeaways:

• The Supreme Court is weighing Roundup preemption: The Justices heard oral arguments on April 27th regarding whether FIFRA preempts state law failure-to-warn claims, a decision that could impact labeling litigation across the country.

• Internal conflict in Roundup MDL: Leading MDL firms have filed a motion to intervene in the Missouri class action settlement, arguing that the settlement was reached too quickly and seeking to halt the current proceedings.

• Plaintiff momentum in Talc litigation: Following the collapse of J&J’s bankruptcy attempts, the litigation has entered court-ordered mediation, with plaintiffs gaining leverage from recent successful trials outside the MDL.

• Weight loss drug "Science Day" is set for May 14th: A critical Daubert hearing is approaching for the gastroparesis (GI) track of the GLP-1 litigation, which will define the scientific standards for the docket moving forward.

• State AGs are forcing platform changes at Roblox: Beyond monetary settlements, State Attorney Generals are securing agreements that require structural changes to the Roblox platform to better protect minors from predators.

Matthew Bergman returns to The Jon & Marc Podcast to discuss the latest developments in social media addiction cases and the groundbreaking litigation against OpenAI.

Key Takeaways

• Social media addiction litigation has reached a turning point where the first major trial results are beginning to shape the future of the industry.

• The legal strategy against OpenAI includes claims that specific software updates contributed to severe mental health declines and loss of life.

• Section 230 is no longer an absolute shield for tech companies as lawyers find new ways to challenge platform immunity.

• Internal testimony from tech executives is providing a clearer picture of how these platforms prioritize engagement over user safety.

• Litigation is being used as a primary tool to force societal changes that legislation has so far failed to address.

• The transition from suing social media companies to addressing AI-generated harm represents the next massive shift for plaintiff firms.

 Key Takeaways:

• The Uber $5,000 Verdict: While the dollar amount was low, the verdict is seen as a "win-win" because it established Uber’s liability for driver conduct and cleared the "common carrier" hurdle in a defense-picked case.

• Bard PowerPort Momentum: The first Bellwether trial has begun in Arizona; as a plaintiff pick, this case is crucial for setting the valuation and momentum for the 3,000+ pending cases.

• SCOTUS & Roundup: The April 27th oral arguments regarding federal preemption could have massive ripple effects for Paraquat, hair relaxers, and any litigation involving "failure to warn" claims.

• The "Old School" Appeal of Olympus Scopes: There is significant enthusiasm for the Olympus Scopes litigation because it follows a traditional medical device fact pattern with clear signature injuries.

• Causation is King: The Uber result highlights that even when liability is clear, specific causation and the severity of damages remain the ultimate deciders of a case's global settlement value.

Key Takeaways:

• The "Ick Factor" and Cleaning Failure: The Lanier Law Firm's Kelsey Stokes explains how Olympus, the leading endoscope manufacturer, produces devices used in roughly 30 million procedures annually, yet these reusable scopes are designed in a way that makes them nearly impossible to fully clean.

• The Scale of the Crisis: Data suggests an unacceptable complication rate of approximately 30,000 cases per year where infections or injuries occur following routine procedures like colonoscopies or bronchoscopies.

• Gram-Negative Superbugs: The primary injuries involve multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) or "superbugs" that enter the system, leading to sepsis and organ failure; infections typically onset within two to 30 days post-procedure.

• Polymer Breakdown and Perforation: Beyond infections, the repeated reprocessing of these devices causes the polymer to break down, leading to the device "shedding" plastic or falling apart during use, which can result in bowel perforations.

• Identifying Potential Cases: Attorneys can identify these cases in existing portfolios, specifically patients who underwent scopes for Zantac-related esophagus issues or hernia mesh-related bowel issues, and found that Olympus accounts for roughly 85% of the market.

• Hernia Mesh Settlement Update: The litigation against C.R. Bard has reached a global deal, with payments currently being distributed to traditional pay cases and ongoing litigation scheduled for other defendants in July.

Key Takeaways:

• The Energy Shift at MTMP: Unlike the somber mood of previous years, there is a "renewed and refreshed energy" in the market driven by capital reinvestment from settling legacy torts like hernia mesh and Zantac.

• The Return of the PI Firm: There is a significant influx of single-event personal injury firms entering the space, utilizing their existing "know, like, and trust" client relationships to mine for cases like Olympus and Dupixent.

• Roblox Litigation Challenges: While sophisticated data scraping tools can now pull user history directly via API, the litigation is expected to be a long battle as Roblox implements age verification changes to shut off future liability.

• Meta’s Crackdown on Attorney Ads: Meta has begun banning attorney accounts targeting users for social media addiction cases, forcing firms to become "channel agnostic" and look toward SEO, referrals, and cross-pollination of existing dockets.

• Upcoming Trial Benchmarks: Critical momentum is building with the third Uber bellwether trial in North Carolina and the upcoming Bard PowerPort trial, which features a strong trial team and over 3,000 filed cases.

Key Takeaways:

• The "AI Mailroom" Solution: Foundation AI serves as a bridge between inbound documents and practice management systems, automating the tedious work of capturing, naming, and filing documents.

• Efficiency Drivers: Plaintiff and contingency-based firms are the primary drivers of AI adoption because they are financially incentivized to be more efficient, unlike the defense side which often relies on billable hours.

• Context is King: AI systems are only as good as the context they are given; without accessible documents and clean data, AI-generated outputs like automated demands will be ineffective.

• The "Ironman" Approach: Effective legal AI should act as an "Ironman suit" that enhances human capability rather than a "Terminator" that replaces it, incorporating human review when confidence scores are low.

• Vetting Vendors: Law firms should treat AI vendor security as "table stakes," looking for SOC 2 Type 2 certification and established references to ensure data security and HIPAA-level compliance.

• Prioritizing Human Touch: While AI should handle "shitty" administrative tasks, humans remain uniquely suited for high-stakes, emotional interactions like initial intake and phone calls.

Key Takeaways:

• Social Media Addiction is the new #1: Following a $6 million verdict against Meta and Google, Section 230 is no longer seen as an invincible defense.

• Depo-Provera’s "Rocket Docket": This is currently the fastest-moving MDL in history, with a trial potentially scheduled for December 2026.

• The Rise of Tech Torts: Four of the top six mass torts are now technology platform-based, including Social Media Addiction, Video Game Addiction, Roblox, and Uber.

• Uber's Strategy Shift: Amidst ongoing bellwether trials, Uber is allegedly beginning to resolve select cases with severe injuries and clear records rather than fighting every claim.

• One to Watch (Olympus Scopes): A new litigation involving infections from Olympus scopes is buzzing; it has the potential to exceed 20,000 cases.

Key Takeaways:

• Operations vs. IT: Distinguish between infrastructure and "technology-wrapped" processes by hiring specialized roles like Digital Operations Managers and Salesforce Architects.

• Marketing as a Profit Center: Treat marketing as a revenue driver rather than an expense by hiring elite talent from high-volume industries outside of law.

• The Brand Compounding Effect: Personal and firm branding are long-term plays that yield massive results over time through consistent, authentic communication.

• Maximum Impact Giving: Move beyond writing checks by offering your firm’s professional expertise (like SOP development or social media training) to help nonprofits grow.

• Strategic Tech Adoption: Avoid the "plug-and-play" trap by using formal change management models and internal "influencers" to test tools before a full-firm rollout.

Key Takeaways:

• Social Media Addiction Verdict: A landmark $6 million verdict ($3M compensatory, $3M punitive) was reached in Los Angeles.

• Bard PowerPort Launch: The first Bellwether trial is set for April 21, 2026. Plaintiffs saw a major win in recent Daubert rulings, with most experts cleared to testify, setting the stage for a critical two-to-three-week trial.

• NEC Trial Momentum: A month into the Cook County trial involving four families, testimony has been "impactful" and traumatic.

• Hair Relaxer Deadlines: With nearly 12,000 cases pending, the litigation is entering a "make or break" phase.

• Talc Litigation Turmoil: All eyes are on a high-stakes settlement meeting scheduled for April 13, 2026.

Key Takeaways:

• Why mass tort settlements can take 10–14 months to fully pay out

• The difference between a settlement announcement and a finalized agreement

• How lien resolution, probate, and bankruptcies delay distributions

• Why poor data management slows firms down in first-in, first-out systems

• How client expectations drive negative reviews in mass tort practices

• What law firms can do on the front end to speed up backend payouts

Key Takeaways:

• How the $6M social media bellwether verdict breaks down and what the liability split means

• Why the Dupixent MDL is expected to be a smaller, high-quality docket rather than a volume play

• What makes Depo-Provera the fastest-moving mass tort in recent history and what to watch next

• Why the preemption argument in Depo-Provera is widely expected to fail and what happens after

• Which GLP-1 medications are now specifically tied to NA-ION vision loss based on new study data

• How parallel state and federal tracks are shaping the GLP-1 litigation strategy

Key Takeways

• Why phone number matching between CallRail and your CMS is the most reliable attribution method, and why you should still expect up to 20% data loss

• How programmatic lead routing eliminates the human error that causes leads to sit uncalled for a day or more

• What the human-to-technology-to-human workflow model looks like in practice, and why it outperforms full automation

• How first-party survey data can generate organic journalist citations, press coverage, and national rankings simultaneously

• Why AI visibility now functions like a popularity contest, and how digital PR builds the brand mentions that feed LLM training data

• What operations actually means inside a legal marketing agency beyond SEO and paid campaigns

Key Takeways:

• Why Angel Reyes & Associates eliminated television advertising after spending nearly $200M

• How a cost per kept case model changes law firm marketing economics

• The digital channels currently driving personal injury case acquisition

• How lead generation partners fit into a high-volume firm strategy

• Why Angel Reyes & Associates keeps marketing fully in-house while outsourcing tech

• How the firm is cautiously testing AI inside a large legal operation

Key Takeaways

• Why the social media addiction trial against Meta may be trending toward a plaintiff verdict

• How the UK warning on semaglutide could strengthen weight loss drug injury claims in the U.S.

• What the upcoming Daubert hearings mean for the future of the hair relaxer MDL

• The 90 day opt out window in the Roundup Missouri class action and what firms must do now

• How regulatory warnings and expert testimony shape mass tort litigation timelines

Key Takeways

• The three bucket framework for deciding where AI belongs in a law firm

• Why the real divide is between AI users and AI power users

• How AI can summarize multi-hour meetings and generate action plans

• The security concerns law firms should evaluate before adopting AI tools

• How AI platforms integrate with case management systems

• Why the broader AI ecosystem from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic matters for legal technology

Key Takeaways

• Why the Daubert ruling excluded four key experts in the baby food MDL

• How the social media addiction trial could influence future platform litigation

• The new PFAS order requiring fact sheets, medical records, and exposure proof

• Why courts may begin dismissing PFAS cases that fail compliance deadlines

• What the 1,000 case surge in Depo Provera filings signals for law firms
  

• How upcoming bellwether trials could shape the trajectory of this MDL

• How LSOs and MSOs work without violating rules on non-lawyer ownership

• What opportunists ask for first (“How do I control the lawyers”) and why it dies there

• The first functions to move into an MSO: finance, IT, people and culture, recruiting, training

• Why intake consolidation is risky when “local” is part of the brand promise

• A practical way to think about non-trackable marketing spend without pretending attribution is clean

• A billboard test framework using geography and postal code tracking - and why it still may not change decisions

• How the proposed $7.3B Roundup class action could cap attorney fees at 22% for cases signed after February 17, 2026
  

• Why resolving future, undiagnosed Roundup claims may be a strategic win for defendants
  

• What Zuckerberg’s testimony revealed and how his courtroom performance may influence jurors
  

• How Meta’s 2018 internal communications on addiction risk strengthen the plaintiffs’ narrative
  

• Why J&J’s effort to sideline Beasley Allen reflects a broader defense strategy in legacy mass torts
  

• What the upcoming Bair Hugger trial in Texas means for applying pressure on 3M

Key Takeways

• Why the first 500 cases are your cheapest and how to capitalize on that window

• How to structure a social team by platform instead of generic roles

• Why firms should spend 20 percent of media budgets on creative

• How influencer collaborations can generate $1,000 cost per case at scale

• Why hiring outside legal, especially from auto retail, creates a data edge

• How connected TV and branded search protect long-term growth

Key Takeaways

• How Hair Relaxer’s numerosity and maturity keep it at #1 and what dates matter next

• Why Uber’s $8.5M verdict matters after a prior zero verdict and what a “2-3 more trials” path signals

• What Roundup’s April 27 Supreme Court oral argument date could do to intake strategy

• The Roblox arbitration push and the consent issues that may decide early motion outcomes

• What to watch in weight loss drug MDLs: 3,000 GI cases now and likely bellwethers next year

• How to interpret a $250K talc bellwether inside a 70,000-case MDL

Key Takeaways

• The Social Media Addiction Trial focuses on product design and algorithm mechanics, not simply content moderation.

• Attorney Matthew Bergman argues that social media platforms were built to maximize engagement through dopamine-driven behavioral design.

• Section 230 immunity is central to the legal battle over platform accountability.

• Expert testimony compares social media addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and drug dependency.

• Internal documents allegedly reveal repeated decisions prioritizing engagement and profit over safety.

• Many of the proposed safety changes could reportedly be implemented quickly and at scale.

• The outcome of this trial could reshape social media regulation and Big Tech accountability in the United States.

• The Uber verdict establishes agency liability without punitive damages

• Lyft MDL in Northern District of California may move faster due to Uber roadmap

• Social media addiction trial focuses on product design, algorithm targeting, and causation

• Defense strategy mirrors the pharma playbook by disputing science and blaming plaintiffs

• Beasley Allen disqualified from 3,600 talc cases in New Jersey state court

• Active talc trial in Philadelphia could increase settlement pressure on J&J

Snap settled. TikTok settled. Jury selection resumes.

The social media addiction trial everyone has been talking about is officially underway and opening arguments could begin within days.

In this week’s episode of Tort Talk, Jon, Marc, and mass tort attorney Joe Fantini break down what’s happening in real time and what it could mean for Big Tech litigation going forward.

We also cover:

• The formation of the Roblox MDL and what the next 3–6 months will look like
• Why Lyft sexual assault appears headed toward consolidation alongside Uber
• The Cartiva toe implant litigation and whether a smaller docket can still justify an MDL
• Why Missouri courts refused to pause Roundup cases ahead of the Supreme Court appeal

With new MDLs forming, major settlements unfolding, and trial calendars moving, pressure is building across multiple fronts.

This is your fastest way to stay current on mass tort developments shaping 2026.

Subscribe for weekly updates.

#MassTorts #SocialMediaLawsuit #Roundup #MDL #LegalNews

————————— Contents of this video —————————

00:00 – Intro

00:08 – Social Media Addiction Trial Update

01:16 – Trial Timeline + What Happens Next

02:47 – Roblox MDL Leadership Appointments

04:47 – Lyft Sexual Assault MDL Formation

05:42 – Cartiva Toe Implant Litigation

07:33 – Roundup: Missouri Refuses to Pause Cases

08:52 – Settlement Pressure & What to Watch

09:23 – Outro

Wall Street money is entering personal injury like never before… buying firms, buying leads, and squeezing margins.

In this episode of The Jon & Marc Podcast, we sit down with Michael Saile (co-founder, managing partner, and trial attorney at Cordisco & Saile, just outside Philadelphia) to talk about what it actually takes to grow a firm in 2026 and beyond, when big-budget competitors can drop into your market overnight.

Michael breaks down the firm’s recent growth, why brand is the only real moat, how community relationships led to major cases after a local catastrophe, and why he believes the future belongs to firms that build real trust, real presence, and real litigation strength.

If you’re a firm owner trying to scale without losing your culture or you’re watching the industry change in real time, this one is a must.

————————— Contents of this video —————————  

00:00 – Introducing Michael Saile

02:46 – The Evolution of Cordisco & Saile

05:41 – Balancing Leadership and Casework

08:45 – Community Engagement and Brand Building

11:24 – The Importance of Goodwill in the Legal Industry

14:22 – Sponsorships and Community Support

17:19 – The Evolution of Marketing Strategies

18:26 – Preparing for Future Growth in Personal Injury Law

20:35 – Building a Brand in a Competitive Landscape

22:16 – The Role of Content Creation and Community Engagement

27:59 – Investing in Leadership and Strategic Planning

32:00 – Balancing Work and Family Life

Mass torts are moving fast… faster than most people have seen in years.

Live from the National Trial Lawyers Summit in Miami, Jon, Marc, and Joe Fantini break down a rare moment in mass tort litigation: multiple high-stakes trials happening at the same time, across social media addiction, Paraquat, Roundup, talc, Uber sex abuse, and more.

From surprise settlements to bellwether trials already underway, this live Tort Talk episode covers what’s happening right now, and what it means for plaintiffs, firms, and the future of mass tort litigation.

If you want a real-time snapshot of where mass torts are headed in 2026, this is the episode.

————————— Contents of this video —————————

00:00 – Live from NTL Miami

00:45 – Social Media Addiction Trial Update

02:30 – Will Meta Settle Before Testimony?

03:10 – The New Era of Mass Torts

05:00 – Paraquat Settlement Update

06:30 – How Much Time Is Left for Paraquat Cases?

07:20 – Roundup Awaiting Supreme Court Decision

08:50 – Environmental Mass Torts to Watch

10:30 – Talc Litigation Update

11:50 – Uber Sex Abuse MDL Trial

13:10 – Other Mass Torts Gaining Momentum

15:45 – Depo MDL Moving at Record Speed

16:45 – NTL Miami Conference Buzz

19:45 – Politics, the Supreme Court & Tylenol

22:15 – AI, Software & the New Vendor Landscape

24:00 – Final Takeaways from Tort Talk Live

After months of waiting, the Mass Tort docket is officially in motion.

In this week’s Tort Talk, Jon Robinson, Marc Rioux, and Joe Fantini break down a rare convergence of major developments across multiple MDLs and state court proceedings, from the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the Roundup preemption appeal to an unusually heavy slate of trials now underway.

Topics covered in this episode include:

• The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the Roundup preemption appeal and what it means for plaintiffs moving forward
• Why multiple mass tort trials happening at the same time is so unusual — and why it matters
• The first bellwether trial underway in the Uber Sex Abuse MDL and what the evidence is showing so far
• A new talcum powder trial against Johnson & Johnson beginning in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
• The first MDL bellwether trial kicking off in the Paragard litigation after years of delay
• Jury selection set to begin in the closely watched Social Media Addiction trial and what to watch as it unfolds
• Early signals from the Character AI settlement and how it could impact related litigation

With pressure building across the Supreme Court, MDLs, and state courts, this episode captures a pivotal moment as mass tort litigation enters a highly active phase.

Subscribe for weekly Tort Talk updates covering the most important rulings, trials, and trends shaping the mass tort landscape.

————————— Contents of this video ————————— 

00:00 – Intro: A Rare Moment of Trial Activity in Mass Torts

00:26 – Supreme Court Takes Up the Roundup Preemption Appeal

02:08 – Uber Sex Abuse MDL: First Bellwether Trial Underway

03:13 – Talcum Powder: New J&J Trial Begins in Philadelphia

04:52 – Paragard MDL: What to Expect From the First Bellwether Trial

06:13 – Social Media Addiction Trial: Jury Selection and Key Issues

07:27 – Character AI Settlement and Broader Implications

08:40 – Closing Thoughts and What’s Ahead at NTL Miami

Legal marketing is changing fast and 2026 is going to force a real reset.

In this episode of The Jon & Marc Podcast, Jon Robinson and Marc Rioux break down what they see coming next and what law firms should start doing now to stay ahead.

They dig into the shift away from traditional TV and radio toward streaming, social, and podcast advertising, why consumers are already burned out on AI, and why human connection is about to matter more than ever in intake and client experience.

The conversation also covers consolidation across law firms, legal tech, and agencies, the growing role of private equity, and why rankings, traffic, and impressions are no longer the metrics that matter. In 2026, it comes down to leads, cases, and building a real brand people trust.

If you run a law firm or lead legal marketing, this episode will help you understand where things are headed and how to adapt before the market forces it.

————————— Contents of this video —————————  

00:00 – Why Legal Marketing Is About to Change

00:37 – Introduction and 2026 Marketing Outlook

01:02 – The Shift From Traditional TV to Streaming and Social

08:47 – AI Fatigue and the Return of Human Connection

11:37 – Why Google Gemini Will Lead the AI Race

13:56 – Consolidation Across Law Firms, Tech, and Agencies

20:31 – The Death of Vanity Metrics

23:11 – Full Funnel Marketing Becomes the Standard

26:13 – Transparency and Legal Advertising Regulation

27:38 – The Rise of the Influencer Lawyer

29:15 – Final Thoughts and What Comes Next